User Reviews

a film about Romanian Revolution of the year 1848. different by the Communist regime's recipes for the genre. because it presents aspects of a profound crisis, characters out of black/white dimensions, the search of solutions in profound manner. it is a sketch but one real significant for understand a fundamental moment of Romanian modern history . that fact does it a good film. not only the performances, not only the script but the courage to propose a precise image of revolution. the use of the play "Bălcescu" by Camil Petrescu has a not small role in the film message. the purpose is not propaganda but the truth. the portraits of characters are realistic, the desire to discover the roots of each revolutionist 's position is the best ingredient for the honest work of the scriptwriter and director. the atmosphere, the wise measure, the message - pieces of a real good historical film.

the first surprise - it is an alive film. the dialogues, the problems, the relation between characters are realistic and each becomes useful trait for define the making of modern Romania in the fight of ideas of 1848 Valachian Revolution. than, it do not propose lessons. only it defines a historical episode with precise care for recreate the atmosphere and the portraits of the characters. the film has the great gift to not propose heroes or statues, bad guys or sinners. only men and theirs ideas and gestures and desire to change the reality in a better direction. the script by Petre Sălcudeanu ignores easy solutions. it propose a way to understand and define the conflicts between political visions and the causes of each group. Constantin Codrescu does an inspired Heliade Rădulescu in middle of a world in change and Cornel Ciupercescu seems be the most inspired interpreter of Bălcescu. a film who could be useful for discover the roots of contemporary Romania.